perzephone | Slow Food & the Consumer Economy (Reply)

On average, Rob and I aren't heavy consumers. We drive used cars, I buy used books, I have reusable storage containers as opposed to plastic wrap and tinfoil and freezer baggies, I'm not a clotheshorse or shoe collector. I did go out and buy a new computer for myself about 4 years ago, and a new computer for Rob earlier this year, but that's after about 10 years of us having salvaged computers that were mosh-pits of scavenged parts. We still have all that crap laying around the house, too, in case we decide to build some sort of Frankensteinian creation to play DOS games on or something. We don't recycle, which we should, because bums come through the neighborhood and scatter people's trash looking for recyclables. I wouldn't care if they were respectful, but they knock people's trash cans over & strew stuff out in the street to get to cans and bottles. I just don't want to encourage them. Most of our furniture is used, coming from either Rob's mom & dad or from the sidewalk. The newest piece of major furniture we have is that big screen t.v., which the in-laws bought for us as a gift. We would never have bought it for ourselves, but what am I supposed to do? Refuse it & piss them off? I'm not militant about trying to use old stuff until it finally wears out or breaks, but I don't see why I should have to get a new car every 3 years or why I absolutely positively have to keep up with the Joneses. When we were robbed we didn't really lose that much because, well, we don't have anything a robber would really want. We have a lot of junk, but none of it is bright, shiny new junk. We do consume food. I mean, you gotta eat. Since Rob has been diagnosed w/diabetes, I've been cooking at home more, so shopping for food and preparing food and eating food has suddenly become an integral part of my life. Before his diagnosis, I was trying to change my eating habits (which I did successfully, originally with the goal of losing weight but now that's been thrown out due to my day job) simply by eating less more often. Living in the wonderful land-locked state of Nevada, fourth highest gas prices in the nation, means that in general I'm going to be paying more for all products, including groceries. Groceries are fucking expensive here. Especially fresh fruits and vegetables. A pound of fresh cherries runs about $4.99 a pound. (The stores conveniently package them in 2-lb bags). Tomatoes are $3.99 a pound. There are a few things I buy frozen - peas, green beans, brussels sprouts, mainly because Rob likes green beans but I'm not a huge fan & I eat more of the peas & brussel sprouts, so I can make one serving from a bag of frozen veggies & it's better than having fresh veggies growing mold or trying to make like, half a can of peas. (Since I started this, we entered into a heated lively debate about who was more personally responsible for their slow constant development into 'whack-job', Michael Jackson or Tom Cruise, which led into a conversation about why I cannot accept or be tolerant of Scientologists, and then Karl had to bring up Dead Zombie Jesus, so my whole train of thought was derailed.)